The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1887-09-01

| S'NOSS C''sNS'eot
The managers Of the Democratic part
held convention at Roanoke on the At
OF Augutt 1887, and promulgated IL plar
fornl-ln reality series Of apologies fO
their broken pledges.
1T has not been the custom of the Reput
lican party to assemble in State conver
ton at other times than when neeessar
to nominate State ticket or send delegate
to national convention.
Inc State Committee representing th
Republican party have seen no occasion
for departure from this rule. This part
has no account OF any stewardship to rem
der, since for four years it has had no con
troll over the administration of State af
fairs. Meanwhile Republican principle
have not changed since they were formal
announced by the State convention in 1855
The principles of Virginia Republican
are the same as those Of the National Re
publican party. We could not desire t,
deceive and mislead the voters of thi
State into the support of our party's candi
dates tor the Legislature to be elected il
November next, by any announcement OF
our own individual advocacy of principles
Which we know to be IN antagonsm to The
belief and principles of the Republican
| party OF the nation
Having neither done nor omitted any
thing in the discharge Of any duty or trus
| imposed upon our party which needs ex-
PLANTATION. or for which we would desr.
10 apologize, the reasons necessitating TIT
ltoanoke convention do not exist as to the
Republican party of this State.
THE ROANOKE PLATFORM.
Nevertheless we have resolved to present
to you this address, setting forth certain
leading facts of political history, contra
dieting the statements of the Roanoke
platform, and to ask you to ponder them
| we'll before you again exercise the right OF
suffrage.
We shall first deal with the statement 81
that platform in the order in which they
are made:
First. AS to the endorsem emit of Pres
dent Cleveland and the declaration which
1T makes that his Administration will re
ceive the cordial support of the Democratic
party of Virginia.
| LII this statement is sincere, then the
succeeding statements demanding the i'm
mediate repeal of the the internal revenue
system and the passage Of the Blair bill
must be insincere for the opposition OF
| President Cleveland to the one and the
lack of his endorsement of the other OF
| these measures, is known to all men.
| Ills formal and express approval of Sec
| rotary Manning's views, and recommends
| tiOns upon the subject Of taxation and
| revenue is conclusive upon this question.
| Secretary Manning not only deprecates
| the fact that there is no longer any duty
or tax imposed upon tea and coffee, but,
while urging a reduction of duties upon
| such articles OF import as are produced in
| our own country squarely opposes reduc-
ton OF the taxes imposed upon tobacco,
fruit Installations, and whiskey.
President Cleveland approves these
views and recommendations of Secretary
Manning. The Democratic managers of
the Roanoke convention endorse his ad-
| ministration, and yet declare for repeal
| OF the internal revenue system.
That President Cleveland Administra-
ton is a great and bitter disappointment
to many of the managers of the Democratic
party of Virginia is at6eSted by loud and
| deep complaints. This pretended support
Of him is not only inconsistent with the
advocacy Of the repeal of the internal rev.
enue system and the passage of the Blair
Educational Bill, but is time serving and
delusive.
1t remains to be seen whether the peo-
| pie of this State can be duped into his sup
| port and that of candidates for the Legis-
| lature of the party endorsing his Admins
tration by the Inconsistent utterances of
the Democratic managers OF Virginia.
! INTERNAL REVENUE.
| Second. AS to the internal revenue
| system The Roanoke platform seeks tic
create the. impression among the people
! that the Democratic party favors the i'm
mediate repeal of that system. 1t may be
| that the Democratic managers, who pro-
muIgated that platform, sincerely wish the
repeal of the internal revenue system from
motives Of self-preservation but when
they formally declare for the repeal of the
system as a part of the Democratic faith,
| it is apparent that they are guilty of an
| effort to deceive the voters of this Com.
| monwealth. That system is held by the
| Democratic party as hostage to compel
the overthrow of the Republican policy of
protection to American labor and indus
tries.
The authors of the Roanoke platform
know full well that the national DemOcra-
cy opposes that repeal, and that the few
Democrats in accord with this declaration
of the Roanoke platform are in a hopeless
minority of the Democratic party. The
National Democratic platform upon which
President Cleveland was elected in 1884,
promised no repeal of the internal revenue
system, but pledged the party to eontin
uance of the internal revenue taxes and
their application to the payment Of pen
siOnS.
The National Democratic plan of re-
ducing tariff duties embraces a continue
ance of these taxes. Every message OF
President Cleveland has ignored any sug
gestion of a repeal of the internal revenue
system. and to the repeated efforts of the
small minority of Democrats who seek its
repeal the Democratic majority of the For
ty-ninth Congress, speaking through it,
Committee on Ways and Means-speakine
for an overwhelming majority ofsthe Dem
ocratic party-speaking in accord with The
views of President Cleveland, has giver
the following unmistakable responses or
behalf of the Democratic parry.
On the 10th of July, 1886, in the Houst
of Representatives of the United States
Mr.. Morrison, leading Democrat an(
chairman of the Committee on Ways ant
Means. on behalf of the Democratic ma
iority of the House, submitted from hi
I committee an rdverse report upon BIZ
ito reduce the internal revenue taxes,
&c. That report is House Document
first session Of the Forty ninth Congress
) No. 3209, and contains the following Ian
: guage:
attempts to remove the tobacco and othe
internal taxes are usually justified by assertin
these to be war taxes. and in apparent forget
fulness OF the fact that so far as relates to it
money obligations the war is not half ovel
and will not be over until we have paid 81, 900
100000 yet to be collected In taxes from the pee
ple,
"a tax on these-tobacco snuff, cigarette.
&c-is largely tax on indulgence and excess
and its payment largely voluntary. Taxes nc
paid on these must be paid on pecessaries {
life, and these are not necessaries of life. Thi
tax should not be removed
Upon the same day Mr.. w. G. 2. Brecb
inridge, of Kentucky, another Democrat
leader ard representative of the Demo
cratic majority, submitted to the House c
Representatives from the Committee o
Ways and Means another adverse repol
upon resolution repeating the take
upon tobacco" That report is Hous
Document No. 3210, and contains the TO
lowing language:
eve are quite contented to defer action upo
the tobacco-tax until the purpose for which
was originally made has been met or until, b
the decrease of the public debt and the rev
sion OF our present unjust and unequal tart
laws. the revenues to meet it can be raise
with less hardship. II is war tax, and the
nancial war Is not yet ended, and will not /
until the last dollar of our war debt is paid an
the last pension is fully in.'
Among the war taxes which are now
= force are the tax upon tobacco, both domest
ALE foreign upon spirits and beer, both dome
d TIC and foreign, and upon imported sugar.
i of these combined barely suffice to meet the al
nual charge for the cost of the war, which
still upon us"
u these pt no roc hnl